Red River (1948)
Grade: 99
When the American Film Institute released their list of the 100 greatest American films, the most glaring omission was "Red River". "Red River" is surely the greatest Western, and perhaps even the greatest of all films.
If "Stagecoach" delivered John Wayne from "B" Western obscurity, "Red River" was the film that made him a top box office draw. "Red River" defined his on-screen persona: the great speaking voice, his stubborness, and his preference of leadership to romance.
"Red River" was also the first film for Montgomery Clift, although his second film "The Heiress" beat it to the theatres. A lawsuit by Howard Hughes and lengthy post-production delayed the release of "Red River" for two years. You would think that Clift would be miscast in a Western, but he does just fine, playing Wayne's gentler alter ego.
Perhaps "Red River" should have been titled "Mutiny on the Plains" instead. It takes the story of "Mutiny on the Bounty" and places it in a Western setting. Wayne is a big-time rancher going broke despite owning thousands of cattle, which have no market in Texas. He aims to drive them far North to Missouri, where waiting railroads and slaughterhouses will pay top dollar. Clift is his adopted son, and Walter Brennan is his sidekick. During the big cattle drive, Wayne's increasing tyranny leads to mutiny. Joanne Dru shows up late in the film as a love interest for Clift.
"Red River" is not a perfect film. The preteen version of Clift's character is misplayed by Mickey Kuhn. Many times the lead actors are superimposed over a Western background. None of Wayne's hired gunmen have any speaking lines. The stampede results in a litter of dead cattle, but only some 600 head are said to be lost in the entire driver. Dru breaks up the climatic fight between Wayne and Clift. During an indian battle, she seems more interested in annoying Clift than in shooting the indians that are an immediate threat to her life. The long suggested battle between Clift and Ireland never arrives. These faults are all trivial, however, compared to the magnificence of the script (Borden Chase), the cinematography (Russell Harlan) and the direction (by Howard Hawks, his first Western).
Dru's character has been the subject of some criticism. She seems to have been inserted to provide a requisite love interest for Clift. However, her presence does increase the tension of the impending confrontation between Wayne and Clift, and provides an excuse for a peaceful resolution. Her character has plenty of motivation for obsessively pursuing Clift: he is after all a land baron, and has saved her life from marauding indians.
"Red River" cost three million to make, quite a sum in those days. However, it made five million at the box office during its initial run. Somehow it only received two Oscar nominations, for Film Editing (Christian Nyby) and Writing.
kollers@mpsi.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html
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